Winds of Change
by SugarAndIce
Summary: As people grow up, they naturally long for companionships. And, usually, they find one right when they least expect it.[You are warned right here and now this is primarily Knuxadow.]
1. Chapter 1

I do not own... anything. Seriously, I don't. Not even this computer ;; Instead of suing me, send me things...? xD And I don't make any money, so, um, yeah.

The rating will go up. Yes. But mostly for just the occasional bad word

* * *

The air was thick in the mists, the sun penetrating the canopy of the jungle just barely. Streams of light came down, breaking the dimness in the dusty chamber, reflecting off of old artifacts and carvings on the wall. The room wasn't unkempt, just unused, for a long time it seemed.

It wasn't silent either, by any means. Birds sang outside, small animals occasionally chirped, the noises too soft to echo, but enough to fill the chamber, and filter out into the halls to join the others. No, this peaceful place was full of life, just untouched by civilization for a long time.

One brave little bush baby climbed down one of the pillars, little claws finding a foothold in the occasional crack, and skittered against the jade tile floor, wide eyes peering about for food. It stopped at a yellowing scroll and leaned forward cautiously, sniffed, then made a happy little squeak, chewing on the corner of it. Tearing a significant part off of it and chewing, the little snacking sounds joining the noises of the other animals.

Yes, a peaceful scene, all until a frazzled echidna ran in, waving a broom over its head, "Be gone! Shoo!"

The bush baby squealed and ran, echidna hot on its foot, until it was safely up the pillar and back into a brush of over hanging leaves, wide eyes peering out at Knuckles. The guardian scowled up to it, then looked down to the scroll, and visibly twitched as he inspected the nibble marks. Fouled... "Ill get you one of these days, don't chew on my scrolls!" He waved the broom at the brush, causing the birds and animals to stir up into a little frenzy of chirps and coos, sound way too much like laughter.

The echidna puffed up, then deadpanned, sighing as it dragged the broom behind him, "One of these days..." He turned and began to sweep out in the hallway again, not noticing that black, beady eyes weren't the only ones watching him. Crouched on one of the many over hanging limbs, the figure's red eyes narrowed, grip tightening on the branch, slender lips pulled back in a smile.

Knuckles' head spines spun as he looked back all of a sudden at a noise, differing painfully from the insulting chatter. It was smooth, deep, he could have sworn he had just heard something purring...

* * *

"A little more..."

"Come on, you can do it!"

"I.. I don't know..."

"Come on.. Come on!"

Sally's ear perked to the seemingly strained voices coming from her living room and frowned, looking up from her computer. What in the world...

Blink.

Tails laid on the couch, with Sonic straddling his waist, leaning forward.

Blink again.

"What are you two...--"

"Shh! Don't break his concentration!" The cobalt hedgehog snapped, and leaned, picking up the half of a chilidog that almost fell out of Tails' limp hand, and hovered it above the fox's nose, "Just a few more bites, and then you will be able to compete with me this weekend! Come on, I don't want to be up there alone!"

Tails took another distasteful bite and grimaced up at him, "But, Sonic, you are always the winner at the eating contest. You have the metabolism of a jet rocket and... And... And alright fine!" He huffed and snatched up the rest of the chilidog and stuffed it into his mouth, being broken by the mournful look from Sonic.

The cobalt hedgehog grinned wide and whooped, tumbling off the now bloated fox and bounced around the room, "Finally! A little competition!"

Sally rolled her eyes and patted Tails, who looked like he swallowed a balloon, on the head, "Sonic, the eating contest isn't the only part of the fair..."

"Sure it is! No one has beaten me at it, I'm the champ running on three years now, and if Tails eats 20 chilidogs this week he can enter in it with me. Its not my fault if he put it off until now. Come on Tails', you did your part, I'll do my part."

Tails' ears perked and he grinned, apparently shaking off the gorging of food just a few moments before, "You will help my train my chao? Awesome! Come on!"

And the two left in blue and yellow blur, without even acknowledging Sally. The princess huffed and crossed her arms, staring after the two. Tails' was understandable, but Sonic? She had thought, since he had invited her to this fair he would act differently. It was an annual fair that most of the citizens of Knothole went to, something to get away to. There was rides, and contests, and food, and.. And dancing. At night, there was always a few slow dances to wind everyone down, and he had told her she could dance with him..

She sat on the couch for a long time, thinking about that, curled to herself a bit. Her house wasn't modest by Knothole's standards, but no one minded, it was shared with everyone. Her large bathroom doubled as a medic if something happened down at the doctor's hut, or if it was something personal. Her kitchen was packed with food, but not for her, for emergencies. Her study was cluttered with plans and messages, all trying to run the village. And her living room doubled as a meeting hall, she lived in City hall. And, even though the space was nice, it was draining always having at least one other person in the house, always having some sort of trouble, never going too long without being woken up in the middle of night because of something happening in the village...

A soft beeping from her computer room woke her up from her musings and she slide off the couch and walked over to close the sliding door, "Alright, alright, coming..."

* * *

Ooo what will happen? Will Sonic finally grow up and act more maturely around Sally? Will Knuckles ever find a way to keep things from chewing on his scrolls? Do you even care?

Only one way to find out...

Review and wait for the next chapter. (Yes, I know they are longish chapters compared to others. I get on a roll.)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I would be vacationing somewhere.

Thanks for the reviews :D To answer, this story? Its going somewhere, but when it gets there it will be just as much of a surprise to you than it will be for me XD It isn't a serious story, I have plenty of those, it will probably have, when all said and done, 4 or 5 chapters.

The main focus was to add a knuxadow that didn't have both knuckles and shadow Oocly glomping each other :P

* * *

It was sunset. 

The intense red and orange glow that streaked across the sky was slowly being swallowed by the gentle purple and inevitable black. Stars speckled the horizon, and his muse had moved.

Black toes curled in the sand, waiting. Shadow the Hedgehog stood at the edge of the main island, awaiting the center of his attention to appear. He had been there for the better part of a month now, the surface. A little morbid of a thought, but still, the truth. He had gotten used to the routine of the Guardian. Up at the break of dawn. Meditate near the Master Emerald, train. Tend to the island, which took most of the day. The plant life had to be tended for, the animal life had to be watched over. The ancient ruins, which is where Knuckles seemed to spend most of free time, reading, drawing, and to his occasional delight, to sing. Knuckles had a beautiful voice.

The blood red lines of the sunset soon faded, and as if set on some internal clock, Knuckles appeared, walking calmly down the beach path, flexing his claws and rolling his shoulders. Shadow grinned wickedly and slid back a bit further behind the large rock on the edge of the island and settled himself, getting ready. After the island was tended for he would meditate at sundown. And, afterwards, train again. A ritual that Shadow would have thought a little boring a few years back, but, now that he was experiencing it, he had to admit, this had to be why the Guardian was so... Balanced.

Shadow snapped out from his musings and crotched low, as Knuckles began. Gloveless and shoeless he swayed, head spines spinning, claws at ready, eyes narrowed as the battle raged with his imaginary opponent. Sand was kicked about as the battle grew fiercer, Shadow's ears strained forward to catch every grunt and snarl. He was so captivating, slender scarlet body, long head spines, tilted violet eyes. It was no wonder Shadow had stared when he had first met Knuckles, he hadn't had any idea what species he was. Knuckles was technically extinct, making his muse even more appealing to him.

His heart suddenly stopped in his throat, tearing him from pleasant thoughts, as Knuckles stopped. Stopped, much too early. Had he been seen? Withdrawing immediately more, body completely frozen. He had been seen, and the Guardian would storm over. He would grab him by the throat, and then throw him square off the island for spying. Black ears flattened against his skull, waiting the inevitable rage. But, it did not come. A minute later and it didn't arrive either. In its place was a distant.. roar. Mechanical one. It grew closer, until it became the undeniable sound of choppers. Lots of them. Shadow slowly stood, unknowingly copying the echidna just on the other side, eyes narrowed and leaning slightly, trying to find the source of the sound.

It grew louder and louder, until the big black steel birds rose through the clouds, the now deafening sound making the black hedgehog's ears flatten. On the side of each one was the big red mark of Robotnik.

* * *

WILL we ever find out what happened to Shadow? WHY are those helicopters there? WHEN will I update again? 

Answers to these and more, next chapter :D

Mwuahaha I suck


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